Freezing peaches

Last year I froze 20 quarts of peaches in less than 2 hours. My housekeeper bought a lug of peaches at the same time and had a terrible time with hers—vowing never to buy peaches in bulk again, even though she agreed wholeheartedly that they were much better than the ones you can buy in the supermarket. When I questioned her on the method she used, I understood why she hadn’t enjoyed herself. Then I realized that not everyone has done this dozens of times and may not know the easiest and best way to go about it. So for any of you readers that haven’t ever frozen a whole lot of peaches, but want to—here’s how:

Setting Up:
You will need one quart freezer bags (I like the zip-top), a 4 cup measuring cup or bowl, a giant-sized bowl (such as the Tupperware large plastic round bowl), a large pot with a wide bottom (10-12 inches in diameter), a meat fork, a medium-sized bowl that will hold 12 whole peaches, Countrytime brand lemonade mix (not sugar-free) and a sharp paring knife. At your stove you will need the large pot filled ¾ full of water, the meat fork and the medium-sized bowl. At your sink you will need the giant-sized bowl, the 4-cup measure, the paring knife, a small container to hold waste (I use an empty half-gallon plastic carton with a gallon-size plastic bag lining it) and the freezer bags.

Begin:
Set 12 peaches in the large pot in one layer (or however many will fit in your pot), fill with enough water to cover and an extra inch. Put on stove and bring to boiling. Turn heat to a steady simmer (you can see the water barely moving.) Simmer 1 minute. With the meat fork, transfer peaches to medium-sized bowl and take to the sink. Run cold water over peaches in bowl. Place 12 more peaches in simmering water. Fill giant-sized bowl with water about 2 inches below rim; add 2 scoops of lemonade mix to water. Slip the peach skins off peaches and discard skins in waste container. Place skinned peaches in lemonade bath. Bring second batch of peaches over to sink and run water over them; repeat until water bath has reached rim. Halve peaches with paring knife and discard pit in waste container. Slice peaches into 4-cup measure until you have 4 cups sliced peaches. Slide the peach slices into freezer bag, push out air and zip shut.

Continue:
Continue the sequence, putting new peaches in water and leaving them approximately 2 minutes (or while you slip skins), slicing and filling bags until all the peaches are done. Forty pounds of peaches will yield 19 4-cup bags (approximately.)

Finish: Label your freezer bags with the amount (4 cups per) the date and the product. Put them in your freezer and clean up the kitchen. Voila! You are done and you have a wonderful, delicious reminder of summer that will yield pies, smoothies, cobblers, crisps, fruit medleys, delicious alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, frosty fruit soups, and topping for ice cream.

Here are a couple of recipes that you can try:

Peach Kuchen

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ tsp. salt, divided
½ cup butter
1/3 cup sour cream
4 cups sliced peaches, thawed
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup sugar

Mix 1 ¼ cups of the flour and ¼ tsp. of the salt. Cut in butter until pieces are about the size of peas. Stir in 2 Tbsp. sour cream. Press mixture into a baking pan (9 x 9 inches). Bake in preheated moderate oven (375deg.F.) for 20 minutes. Spread peaches on baked crust. Mix remaining flour, salt, and sour cream, egg yolks, and sugar. Pour over peaches. Bake in preheated moderate oven (375) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until firm. Cool; then chill and serve plain or with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. Makes 8 servings.

Peach-Blueberry Cobbler

1 Tbsp. cornstarch
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup cold water
2 cups sliced peaches (fresh or frozen)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup flour
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup milk
¼ cup soft butter

Mix first 3 ingredients; add fruits. Cook and stir until mixture is thick. Add 1 Tbsp. butter and lemon juice. Pour into 9” round cake pan or 9” square baking pan, sprayed with cooking spray. Put dry ingredients in mixer bowl. Mix on low for 30 seconds. Add soft butter and milk all at once; beat until smooth. Pour or dollop (makes the “cobbles”) over fruit. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. sugar and ¼ tsp. nutmeg over batter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.